Streaming

Koush has been pretty busy pushing updates for AllCast lately. It wasn't all that long ago we saw one adding support for the Amazon Fire TV. But while support for new devices is welcomed, there is also the hope of seeing support for new services. The latest AllCast update has added beta support for Google Drive.

Google Play Music support has arrived on Sonos this morning. The support will be available for those using the Android app, as well as the controller app on a desktop. And interestingly, you'll also be able to stream Play Music (to a Sonos setup) direct from the Play Music app in the same way you have been streaming to a Chromecast.

One of the perks of the Chromecast is the ease of use. Going along with that is the lack of needing to worry about software updates. In fact, we suspect some Chromecast users never even pay attention to updates. Still, Google does push them. They also detail them on the Chrome Releases blog and this time around there was one item of particular importance.

Coming without any formal announcement from Google, it has been discovered the Chromecast supports YouTube live streams. There is a catch for Android users though. At this time the live streams appear to be supported only when using a desktop browser. It seems likely to believe Android support is coming, and possibly we'll learn about that when Google offers a more official announcement.

Yesterday, Koushik Dutta teased the Android community with full device mirroring on the shiny new Amazon Fire TV. Now he is giving out a beta version of the CastReceiver APK that makes all of it possible.

Google Glass users now have another option when it comes to streaming live video. This latest app is called Livestream, and it will allow Glass wearers to begin streaming with a voice command and a tap. In this case the command is "Ok Glass, Livestream."

Another streaming device means another potential toy for Koushik Dutta to play with. And true enough, the renowned Android developer has just pushed out an update to his AllCast app that allows mirroring smartphones on the newly unveiled Amazon Fire TV.

Amazon announced the Fire TV earlier this morning. Initially this seems to be just another set-top box to attach to your television and stream the likes of Netflix and Hulu Plus. Of course, Fire TV also has support for Amazon Instant Video (amongst other services). Some may prefer the Chromecast or Roku Streaming Stick given the dongle form factor, but with the feature set and price tag of the Amazon Fire TV -- it seems this one may be worth considering.

A big draw for the recently announced Amazon Fire TV is obviously the streaming video. And while that side of the set-top box appears to be full featured -- there is more involved here. The Amazon Fire TV is also a gaming box which has an optional game controller for improved game play. And yes, this is the controller we saw leak last month.

The Amazon event is still underway, but we now have another streaming set-top box to consider. We are talking about the Amazon Fire TV, which is a device that will attach to your television and allow you to stream from a few services. As one would expect, those services include Amazon Instant Video. Amazon is pushing a few things here, one of which is simplicity.